Category: Planting Design

Garden Bulbs To Plant For Spring Colour

1/11/2019

It's that time of year again when gardeners can be found busy planting bulbs. Whether it be for a clients garden or my own i use a selection of traditional favourites like Daffodils, Tulips and Alliums chosen for their hardiness, suitability for our local clay soils, height and most importantly their colour. I like to create colour combinations which suit the planting designs i’m creating for each client. Tulips are particularly useful for creating waves of colour in that first year whilst the other plants establish. Below are some of my favourites which can be picked up from garden centres now.
Tulips –They are available in every colour under the sun and look stunning through the months of March, April & May. They can be planted directly in the ground or in plastic plots to be plunged into gaps in the border whilst they flower and then lifted out to make space for something else later on. Tulips can look fantastic when planted in blocks for a contemporary look or in waves amongst other perennials...

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Garden Screening Options - Using Planting for Privacy

13/9/2019

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Hornbeam is the ideal plant for screening

Privacy is a real hot topic in garden design at the moment. With new housing developments, space is at a premium and so often is privacy. I am regularly called to see gardens which are overlooked by neighbours, the clients keen to create a space which feels relaxing and private. I have looked at the 'hard landscaping' options like timber screening and structures in a previous article - 'Garden Screening - Using Structures for Privacy' and now i want to look at the greener option of using planting to form a secluded oasis of calm.

Pleached trees: These are trees have a tall single stem topped with a expertly trained head supported by a bamboo frame. This provides a living screen, typically the tree is planted in front of a fence with the framework above. It can give the look of an elevated hedge above fence height. Deciduous and evergreen options are available. Hornbeam, Crabapple and Photinia are popular choices. They will need regular trimming and training to keep them in good shape, so good access is required and they are an expensive option due to the time spent training the trees so not for everyone...

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Planting Design - Inspiration from Hauser and Wirth Somerset

9/8/2019

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Every year i take a modern day pilgrimage to a garden designed by renowned landscaping and planting designer Piet Oudolf. This year took me to Hauser and Wirth Somerset - a world class gallery and arts centre based at Durslade Farm in Bruton. The 'Oudolf Field' as it is known is a 1.5 acre garden to the rear of the gallery with traditional layout of curved sinuous borders but filled with swathes of perennials and grasses to give a loose meadow like informality to the space.

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Garden Design - Breathtaking Inspiration @ 'The Newt' Somerset

25/7/2019

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A walled kitchen garden will without fail quicken my heart rate! It has always been the case, whether still being cultivated for produce or whether is has been reclaimed by nature, with brambles and bindweed tumbling over walls and glass houses. So when i heard that Hadspen House and Gardens in Somerset was undergoing extensive restoration i had to go an see for myself. Newly opened i was not sure what to expect just yet, but not only did my pulse race when i stepped through the threshing barn doors but i was astounded by what the new owners of the rebranded 'The Newt' have achieved.

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Climbing Plants for Colour, Scent and Screening

5/7/2019

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On a warm summers evening what’s better relaxing beneath a climber clad pergola or against a warm wall smothered in fragrant blooms? There are all sorts of climbers available in our local garden centres and nurseries. Which to choose to cover a pergola, fence, arch or an obelisk can be a tricky when you’re faced with so many.
Colourful Climbers
Clematis are rightly popular, they come in such a huge range of colours and there’s one for every site and every season. The brightest and most bold are the summer flowering hybrids like ‘The President’ & ‘Hagley Hybrid’. They flower prolifically on long shoots from May to September depending on the variety. These love sunny spots but the alpine and macropetala types will cope with shady spots too. Clematis climb by wrapping their leaf stems around supports, so wires stretched over a surface will give them the means to spread......

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Low Maintenance Gardening Tips

23/5/2019

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Gardening can become a chore for those who are time poor, but there are ways to reduce the time and effort it takes to keep the garden looking good all year round. When i visit new clients to discuss their needs for their gardens and look at how i can design or enhance their spaces to fulfil their requirements, one of the first questions i ask is how much time they can devote to looking after the plants, lawns and hedges and so on so that i can tailor the design to suit.
From my experience it is often the lawn which requires most care during the spring and summer as it grows abundantly and needs a trim every week or two. Some planting demands deadheading and regular trimming to keep it in shape and then hedges need a haircut once or twice during the year to keep them looking at their best. For some it is weeding which takes up so much of their time and it is difficult to keep on top of the weeds if they are allowed to run riot early in the season.......

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Front Garden Design Ideas - Planting options

21/5/2019

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We often neglect our front gardens as we spend so little time in them, choosing to relax and entertain in the privacy of our back gardens. However as we use them numerous times a day when we leave and return to our home, with a little effort a neat, tidy and uncluttered front garden can be a very welcome site at the end on a hard day at work. The way we present our front garden also sets the tone for our home so considering the garden design and planting design options is worthwhile. Unlike our secluded rear gardens the space at the front of our property is on show to all of those who pass by, our visitors, our neighbours and even the postie! Whether you have a small postage stamp size space or a grand sweeping driveway, sprucing up the front garden is a benefit not only to ourselves but to our community too.

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How to achieve a Tropical Style Garden in the UK

16/5/2019

Soon summer will be here and we can wave good bye to the cold mornings we have suffered in the spring and say hello to long sunny days.
As I spend more time out basking in the rays my mind turns to holidays in warmer more exotic climes. It can be so tempting to return to our cooler gardens and long for the plants and colours we have seen abroad. Despite our less clement weather it is possible to create a tropical look using hardy and half hardy plants with the odd flamboyant annual thrown in too.
Select from a range of lush foliage plants and tropical looking flowers and you can transform a space into a bright, fresh & invigorating space. So which plants to choose.....

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Author: Bel Grierson

Expert Plantswoman and Garden Designer with 20 years experience in horticulture. Bel loves to share her knowledge and enthusiasm with those with gardens large and small.

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"Bel has recently redesigned a large area in my garden which was previously a 'wilderness'. I was very pleased with the design that she came up with - it was clear that she had paid attention to what I had said I wanted and understood my style. Great communication throughout the process and now that the planting is finished I am looking forward to next spring and watching it develop."

Mrs Phillips - Ratby, Leicestershire

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"Bel is brilliant. Easy to work with. Lots of ideas and plans but great at listening and quickly tapping into what you like, want and need. She has bags of style with a healthy dose of practicality and is 100% reliable. Totally recommend."

Mrs Munden - Thrussington, Leicestershire

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"Bel delivered professional advice in a friendly way after she had established what her clients wished to achieve. All in all - it has been a pleasure to work with her"

Mrs Harrison - Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire

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"If you are looking for advice on your garden or a new designs then look no further than Bel Grierson. We have used her on several aspects of our garden to lower the maintenance and update the planting with spectacular results. Bel is easy to work with and is totally in tune with all our requirements."

Mr Stapleton - Rothley, Leicestershire

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"Bel has delivered a delightful garden with a design that has transformed a shallow plot surrounded by fences, into a garden full of interest. Bel listened carefully to our concerns and gave her total attention to each step of the way."

Mr & Mrs Bayley - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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"Our 20 year old garden was looking tired and boring. No colour and a mishmash of plants that were past their sell-by date. We had no idea what to do to rescue the situation as we knew very little about what plants would do well. Then we found Bel. Our garden is transformed; beautiful colour that just keeps coming all through the year, easy maintenance and a joy to sit and look at with an appropriate glass in one hand. Bel interpreted our thoughts perfectly and has produced an extraordinary result. She is patient with non-gardeners, knowledgeable and highly professional. Not afraid to get her hands dirty and endlessly helpful. I simply cannot recommend her too highly."

Mr & Mrs Benussi - Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

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"Bel redesigned and planted our garden this summer. It has transformed it from dark and dingy to a fresh open space. Bel is a pleasure to work with, friendly and helpful, full of ideas and always ready to listen to what you want and find the best way of delivering it. Recommended!"

Mr Goodman - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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"Bel provided good advice and warm, friendly and professional support at all stages of our garden transformation. Her knowledge about plants and her design ideas gave us confidence from the outset. We are delighted with the result, and now look forward to enjoying our new garden in the months and years to come."

Mr Corner - Rearsby, Leicestershire

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Mrs Phillips - Ratby, Leicestershire

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Mrs Munden - Thrussington, Leicestershire

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Mrs Harrison - Woodhouse Eaves, Leicestershire

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Mr Stapleton - Rothley, Leicestershire

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Mr & Mrs Bayley - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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Mr & Mrs Benussi - Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire

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Mr Goodman - Loughborough, Leicestershire

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Mr Corner - Rearsby, Leicestershire

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